CLOSE-UP : Rast Twins on Royal Soccer Team Are Quick to Avoid Comparisons as Athletes

Ask Royal High junior Cam Rast who’s a faster runner, he or his twin brother Matt, and you probably won’t get an answer.

“We don’t race each other,” he said.

Ask Matt the same question, and you still won’t get an answer.

“He’s a good sprinter,” he said about Cam.

But ask just about anyone else and they’ll tell you that both the 16-year-old soccer players are fast--fast enough to hold two national youth relay records.

In the 1984 The Athletics Congress National Youth Track Championships in Provo, Utah, Cam and Matt, along with two other runners, set records for both the four-man 400- and 800-meter relays. Matt, however, was sidelined a year later when he tore ligaments in his knee.

But Matt has returned and has helped Royal to its first win over Simi Valley since 1979, a 4-0 victory.

Royal Coach John Calpin said he likes his team’s chances at winning the Marmonte League this season, especially with Matt playing striker and Cam at sweeper.

“Cam is really a mature soccer player,” Calpin said. “He’s got great soccer sense and great technical skills. Matt’s strong point is his mobility.”

Calpin doesn’t know which of the twins is faster either. Perhaps no one does.

“We’re highly competitive,” Cam said. “But we’re the best of friends.”